Nobody

Picture the most pathetic demon in all of hell — a runt pig with zero special powers — looking at the legendary Journey to the West and thinking, "I could do that." So he rounds up a toad demon, a weasel demon, and a gorilla demon, and together they disguise themselves as the famous monk and his disciples, racing to reach the West before the real pilgrims and snag the sacred scrolls for themselves. It's a con job dressed up as a holy quest, and the comedy writes itself. This is a movie from Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and the hand-drawn animation is genuinely striking — it draws on traditional Chinese painting in a way that feels lived-in rather than showy. There's an interesting power system where the demons can merge their abilities but lose a piece of their spirit each time, which gives the action real stakes underneath all the slapstick. The soundtrack mixes traditional Chinese instruments with modern composition, and it lands harder than you'd expect for what looks like a comedy on the surface. The vibe sits somewhere between the irreverent humor of Saiyuki and the mythological worldbuilding of Journey to the West: Legends of the Monkey King, but with a crew of nobodies instead of legendary heroes. If you liked Hozuki's Coolheadedness for its playful take on Eastern mythology, this hits a similar nerve — just with more heart and a road trip structure. It's really about four outcasts trying to matter in a world that already has its chosen ones.